tmoneymoney4

Hey, i havent been around for a while cause i moved down to santa barbara for college. anyways ill get to the point. i have a 4 speed 76 vette. and when i am putting the car into reverse there is a terrible grinding sound which i can only imagine is the clutch. its already pretty rough to shift through the other gears but only on reverse does it make that sound, (i turn the car off before i put it into reverse so i dont have to get embarassed by people thinking i cant drive a stick). Is this is a common "ur clutch is gone" problem? get back to me

thanks, alex

fl_rider

It sounds like the clutch isn't fully disengaging.
It could just be a problem with the adjustment of the linkage for the clutch or possibly a problem with the pressure plate itself.

Reverse is a straight cut gear and if it is still spinning it will make a grinding noise.

Stiff shifting in the forward gears is caused by the same problem.

If you continue to drive it like that you can screw things up in the transmission.

Try the clutch linkage adjustment first. Just remember you need "some" free play in the linkage.

big_G

Sounds like you may need to adjust the clutch free-play. The clutch may not be releasing. About 1 inch free-play is ok. This adjustment is done on the rod coming out of the fire-wall next to the steering column.

griffths

If you are moving at all when trying to put it into reverse you will get grinding. I shift into first with the clutch out and come to a complete stop before going into reverse and that prevents any grinding. I had my transmission rebuilt and a new clutch installed about a year ago and it has always worked this way so I would say that my setup is still in good condition.

Regards,

Jay

not a '76

reverse isnt synchronized. you have to go into another gear imediately before going into reverse.

MILO

I believe a general rule of thumb is after depressing the clutch, count 3-Mississippi's and put it into reverse. If the gears grind, then you need to start to looking if the clutch is not engaging all the way.

lars

That's correct. You should be able to depress the clutch fully and give it about 9 seconds. If it then grinds going into reverse, your clutch is not fully disengaging. You need to adjust the clutch for proper play. If this does not cure it, it may be time for a clutch/pressure plate/throwout bearing replacement. As a note, if your clutch is not fully disengaging as indicated by the reverse grinding, you are causing a lot of wear on your synchros for the other gears. If you let it go, you'll be doing a tranny rebuild as well...

danthony

After coming to a complete stop, put the car in second gear, then into reverse. If that works, it's probably a synchro.

Good Luck

lars

There is no synchro on reverse...

fl_rider

By putting the trans into any of the forward gears you are stopping the rotation of the cluster gear and...
as long as the clutch is fully disengaged
it will not grind when going into reverse.

corvtt1969

mine never grinds when i put it in gear with the clutch depressed and then into reverse, i always to a quick row from 1st to 2nd then into reverse, never grinds when i do that. - Bob

danthony

That's what I meant.

sb69coupe

If you read the owners manual, it tells you specifically that you should put the transmission into first prior to going into reverse. This will stop the grinding from the lack of synchro on reverse.

2th farmer

there is the answer!

Frankenvette

I had the same problem. While installing headers I removed the z-bar. Upon inspection I noticed that the plastic bushings inside the z-bar (the ball studs mate up to these bushings) were worn out so I replaced them. You can still purchase them at the Chevy dealer for about $2.00 each. I also replaced the ball stud that threads into the engine block (again purchased from the dealer for about $10.00). After reinstalling everything I was able to shift into reverse without any grinding. I'm able to shift at anytime into reverse with no noise and without shifting into 1st or 2nd gear first.

fl_rider

"its already pretty rough to shift through the other gears but only on reverse does it make that sound"
This indicates that the clutch is NOT fully disengaging.

Mark PittPayne

First...get underneath the car and lubricate your shifter linkage. You will be amazed how this smooths out your regular gear shifting. Secondly, your reverse shift problem is common. When you stop, shift to first and then slowly into reverse. I use a little overkill with mine and shift between first and second a couple of times and it solves the problem. No worries... you are not ready for an overhaul yet. Happy shifting.

fl_rider

And dont forget to change the blinker fluid as well.

The Chrome muffler bearings are the best and when properly lubricated there is very little resonance.

A truck driver friend of mine told me that if I just "double clutched it" the noise would go away as well.